I love running, and I love summer, but running in the summer is something I kind of hate. As much as I love running by green flowering trees and sparkling waters, the heat and humidity usually get the better of me and send me running indoors for the treadmill or straight into a cold swimming pool. But, avoiding the outdoors is out of the question if you are serious about sticking to a running routine or training for a race.

If you struggle with running in the summer, you are not alone. EVERY runner has had their own battles with the summer heat, but this handy guide will give you all information you need to ward off most of summer running dangers as well as how to make the most out of your training program in the summer months.

3 REASONS WHY RUNNING IN THE HEAT IS HARD

#1. HIGHER BODY TEMPERATURE

#2. YOU SWEAT LESS EFFICIENTLY

#3. YOUR HEART MUST WORK DOUBLE-TIME

Now that I’ve likely scared you out of pursuing a summer running routine, let me assure you that running in the heat is safe and manageable with the right equipment and know-how. Keep reading for all the info you need to become a summer-running machine (you might even learn to love it).

It's Hard To Get Back To Exercise

I can’t be bothered to run. I don’t want to get up out of my warm, cosy bed into the cold dark morning. One missed run won’t hurt. I’ll run later instead.

I know that if I can push through that first mile warm up, then I usually fall into the rhythm, find a good pace and start to control my breathing. Once that first mile is over, I know I’ll enjoy the run.

4 Reasons Why The First Mile Is Always The Hardest

I can’t be bothered to run. I don’t want to get up out of my warm, cosy bed into the cold dark morning. One missed run won’t hurt. I’ll run later instead.

I know that if I can push through that first mile warm up, then I usually fall into the rhythm, find a good pace and start to control my breathing. Once that first mile is over, I know I’ll enjoy the run.

Do you even lift? Why lifting weights is more important for your health than you think

Historically, most public health physical activity recommendations have predominantly promoted moderate to vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity (such as brisk walking or jogging). However, the current Australian guidelines issued in 2014 are our first national public health guidelines to additionally recommend muscle strengthening activity. They recommend an adult “do muscle strengthening activities on at least two days each week”.

Muscle strengthening activity usually includes exercise using weight machines, exercise bands, hand-held weights, or own body weight (such as push-ups or sit-ups). When performed regularly, muscle strengthening activity leads to the improvement or maintenance of strength, size, power and endurance of skeletal muscles.

This addition of muscle strengthening activity into the physical activity recommendations is due to emerging scientific evidence linking this type of activity to reduced risk of type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, weight gain, physical disability, heart disease, poor musculoskeletal and mental health and premature death.

How to Promote a Company Culture of Wellness

With insurance premiums on the rise, employee health has become a prime concern for many businesses. On average, an unhealthy employee costs companies around $12,000 per active employee. Is it any surprise companies cite declining employee health as one of the main challenges when trying to find affordable health care?

If you want a healthier work environment, it’s up to you and your co-workers to put together a plan you can present to your HR department. Even if you don’t have the approval of the HR department, there are still plenty of options you can do to encourage a culture of wellness.

It isn’t just businesses that suffer though. Employees end up dealing with higher premiums and deductibles due to the declining health of co-workers. To counteract this, many businesses are turning to wellness programs to keep people healthy. Unfortunately, not all offer such benefits.

How the Internet Can Keep Fitness Fun and Engaging

While the internet can sometimes get a bad rap for being distracting and wasting time, we feel it actually has a lot to offer the world of fitness. To stick to your health-related plans, goals and interests, it's important you feel engaged and intrigued by the goals you’re working towards. Otherwise, you may suddenly find yourself out of shape.

The internet provides us with a vast amount of information we can use to inspire us, teach us, motivate us and entertain us. Therefore, in this day and age, it's become a powerful tool to keep people engaged and active in their fitness plans.

Social Media Fitness Groups

Everyone is on social media these days, and there are fitness communities within the online social world that are booming. If you're into weight lifting, running, pole-fitness, yoga, sports or pretty much any other type of fitness, there will be groups of interested and motivated people conversing and sharing with one another.

These groups contain fun, engaging and entertaining posts that can help to keep the idea of getting fit fun and exciting. If you see people posting in social media groups with their results and journey, it will push you to continue with your own workouts and diets, helping you remain engaged and active in your fitness pursuit.

The best social platform for this type of information is Facebook. Facebook caters for all different types of posts in an easy to consume manner. Video, image and text-based posts are allowed, and it is the most used social media channel of all. Search through Facebook and try to find fitness groups related to your health goals and plans.

If you plan on uploading and posting in social media groups while on the go, be sure to use a secure connection, otherwise people may be able to get access to your information, which isn't something you want to worry about while contributing to your social community.

Entertainment with a Motive

Most areas of fitness and sports have iconic figures. In the digital age we live in, these figures run their own social media or YouTube channels, which can be very fun to follow.

Their posts will contain valuable content, humor, mindset and motivational content, and anything else relevant to them. Following these figures provides us with focus, determination and fuel to use for our own fitness goals.

YouTube is another popular platform where you can watch fun and engaging videos within the fitness industry. Most channels try to keep things light yet valuable for their viewers, which means you're bound to be entertained. It's helpful to have this kind of influence and information in your life if you're trying to remain engaged with your health-related activities.

Overall, the internet provides us with a lot of information that can entertain us and make the world of fitness more fun and engaging. Through following social media groups, channels and celebrity-like figures, we can become more absorbed, and we are more likely to push ourselves to better levels of fitness.

Author Bio: Diamond is a health and tech blogger. She enjoys spreading awareness about how information influences us and motivates us to reach and achieve our health related goals. Check out more of Diamond's articles at ehealthinformer.com, or follow her on Twitter at @ehealth_inform.

Your Joints Need Care Too

Your joint health is directly related to your ability to train to your full potential and well into your old age. Over the years I’ve asked many seasoned lifters what the number one thing is they wish they’d paid more attention to when they were younger. 9 times out 10 the answer is something to the tune of, “I wish I’d taken better care of my joints” or something along the lines of “less ego, more tension.”

For what reason?

Nowadays, much of that same older lifting crowd has a laundry list of exercises they simply can’t perform pain-free. Their joints are creaky, irritable, and their range of motion has suffered greatly. In short, their ability to train has become limited by their own body.